Ascension, "Consolamentum"

Little seems to be known about this black metal horde from Germany; I would argue that little needs to be known of them. What matters is the music, and the music made by this band is astonishing. Possessed by an almost psychedelic quality at time, the riffs wield an articulate dissonance as they wage war against the typical human psyche, exploring the idea of spiritual metamorphosis (thus the band's name). This is the absolute height of black metal, on par with the best of Deathspell Omega. That's not something I'd thought I'd say so easily, but in this case making that determination is elementary. One listen should reveal the genius at work here.

This debut full-length has been difficult to come by stateside; Phantom City Records had it and sold out, though they're expecting a restock in the coming weeks. If you're feeling adventurous, head to Germany's World Terror Committee, where you can get this LP, the Fire and Faith EP, and the With Burning Tongues demo on LP and/or cassette.